


Promise on a Finger

by ionica01



Category: Assassination Classroom
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Karmanami - Freeform, early christmas present, karumana - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-16 00:02:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13042320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ionica01/pseuds/ionica01
Summary: Karma followed the book: dragging his best friend through jewelry shops- check; candles-check; romantic dinner-check; cheesy speech-check. Despite all of his effort, it didn't go according to plan, yet it was perfect. It always was, when she was involved.





	Promise on a Finger

**Author's Note:**

> This is an early Christmas gift for GlassesBunny. Sorry it took so long, I've just been buried in work, but here it is, and I hope it makes up for the wait! Thank you for always supporting me! Anyway, enjoy!

“This is the third shop already, Karma!” Nagisa complained in a tired voice, dragging his feet through the fancy entrance. He felt the heavy perfume choke him and the shiny window shops blinded him.

“It has to be perfect,” the redhead answered without looking up from the lineup of shiny jewelry.

“They all look the same,” the bluehead said with a heavy sigh, fighting for air as he undid the knot on his scarf.

“How may I help you?” the pleasant voice of the shop-assistant interrupted Nagisa’s whines. 

Karma looked up at her and his lips curled into the Akabane business smile. “We’re looking for an engagement ring.” He couldn’t hide his smile as the words rolled of his tongue, laced with pride and love. Nagisa sighed again, this time not a cry of despair, but a murmur of consolation.

“Right this way,” the assistant advised them, leading the way towards a wall filled with diamond rings. Nagisa squinted at the light they reflected and draped the scarf over his eyes. 

I must say-” the assistant said while Karma dove into expertly analysing the rows and diamond cuts one by one, “-it’s not often that the girlfriend is present to the ring-choosing.” Karma tore his eyes away from the shelf when he heard Nagisa choke and looked at the woman. “Congratulations, you two!” was all she needed to say for Karma to burst out laughing.

“You hear that, Nagisa- _ chan _ ?” the politician replaced the polite smile for a mocking one. “We look like a couple!” he chuckled, throwing a hand around Nagisa’s neck.

“You… aren’t?” the woman asked, confusion evident on her face.

“No!” Nagisa vehemently opposed the idea. “Get off me, Karma!” he pushed his friend away, then back to the woman, “I am a guy!”

“Oh, I thought- I-I’m sorry!” she blurted, her face increasingly hotter. “I’ll be there if you need me,” she muttered as she backed away from the situation.

Karma regained his composure and glanced sideways as his friend. Nagisa looked dejected, contemplating his appearance in the mirror on the adjacent wall. 

“And after I got a haircut, too,” Nagisa muttered to himself. The redhead had to school his impulse of looking for the assistant and bit back the mouthful he was ready to give her.

Instead, he returned his attention to the rings and nonchalantly said, “I don’t think Kayano-chan cares. Remember that she fell for you when you had long hair. So stop sulking and come pick up a ring for her.”

“But I’m not proposing!” Nagisa protested.

“But you will one day, right?”

“Well I- I guess. If she’s alright with me, that is,” he added, his voice barely more than a whisper.

“Did she ever say she wasn’t?” Karma looked up from the second row he was now inspecting- still no brilliant cut.

“Well no, but-”

“Then stop overthinking it. An assassin that doubts himself can’t kill even a fly,” he said in a tone that admitted no come-back.

There was a long silence before Nagisa joined him by the rings. “Thank you, Karma,” he said in a hushed voice. The redhead could hear the smile in his tone without looking up.

“What for?” he chimed, seemingly deep in thought as he let his eyes wander over the third row of rings. The bluehead shrugged with another sigh- a thankful murmur this time. Karma felt warmth envelope his heart and his eyes lit up, now ready to continue his quest.

Nagisa  _ was  _ right- they all looked the same. He wanted something different- something memorable, a ring that would stand out without being impractical, a piece of jewelry that would shine on Manami’s finger until he would replace it with a wedding ring.

Three shops and all he had seen were obnoxiously big diamonds, untasteful models crafted in gold and the same boring models. He went through another raw, stifling a yawn. He was ready to leave the shop and pretend to ignore Nagisa’s whining again when he saw it.

It was so small most people probably overlooked it. Thin, blessed by a small trail of diamonds, crafted in gold that formed a beautiful spiral,  _ the ring  _ shined behind the glass. As soon as he laid his eyes on it, Karma could picture Manami wearing it- her right hand curled around a cup of tea, the ring shining through the cloud of steam; the gentle spiral leaving its mark on her slender fingers; the distinct sound it made when she picked up a flask.

“I think I found it,” he murmured in awe.

“Finally?” Nagisa asked, delight evident in his voice.

“Excuse me, could I get this one?” Karma called for the assistant. The same poor woman unlocked the cabinet wordlessly and handed him the ring, too embarrassed to even make eye contact.

“Nagisa, can you try it on?” Karma requested as if he was asking for the weather.

“Me?!” the victim struggled to keep his voice down, disbelief painted across his face.

“Your hands are the same size as Manami’s- and it would be bad if it was loose on her fingers. Why did you think you came along?” Karma said, waving the ring in front of his nose.

Nagisa’s shoulders slumped. “I thought I was providing moral support,” he said in a gloomy tone, fitting the ring on. It was a perfect match, but Nagisa  wasn’t washed by relief because of that.

Ten minutes later, Karma swinged the bag happily by his side, humming a tune in the frosty air.    
“Thank you, Nagisa!” he sing-sang, and his breath formed small, white clouds between them.

The other man shrugged. “You know I’m gonna drag you with me to buy Akari a engagement ring too, right?” he grinned, sending another wave of clouds in Karma’s way.

Karma smirked back through the mist. “I thought that was obvious.”

***

Manami picked up the pace in the chilly air of the evening, clutching the coat tighter around her. November wasn’t supposed to be so cold, and she wasn’t supposed to be so late, either. Work was finally calming down after last week’s presentation, but the resulting papers weren’t going to sign themselves any time soon. She could at least be thankful that Takebayashi stayed behind to help her and that she made it home only half an hour later than usual.

She wondered whether the smell of Karma’s cologne and his red sweater would wait for her as she opened the door. He had a big meeting the next week, and he had warned her he might start coming home late. Manami wasn’t particularly fond of the empty apartment where his scent and memories lingered, so she arranged to close up the lab for the next week. If he wasn’t in their apartment, she could hardly call it home.

She tried the keys in the lock and, to her delight, it was open. She was met by Karma’s shoes in the doorway and his clothes hanged in the closet, but the usually strong scent of his cologne was covered by the smell of smoke. A pang of fear stung through her heart as Manami called, “I’m home.” There was no answer.

Her stomach dropped in a pit with no breaks or life insurance. “Karma?” she called again, louder. There was no response this time either. She dropped her purse on the ground and inhaled. Definitely smoke. Burnt dinner, perhaps? Not that it had ever happened to chef Karma before.

The laces on her boots had never come untied harder, nor the buttons on her coat had ever been so stubborn as they seemed that night. Panic washed away any rational thoughts such  as keeping her hand over her mouth in the case of a fire as she ran to their bedroom. There was no one there.

The living room was also quiet, no sign of any fire whatsoever as Manami walked towards the kitchen. “Karma?” she asked again, stopping in the doorway with the heart in her throat. Eventually, she pushed the door open, forcing her eyes shut, dreading what she could see.

“Surprise!” she heard a familiar voice.

Manami cracked an eye open.

In the kitchen illuminated by a couple of candles, Karma sat at a table filled with deliciously-smelling warm dishes. Manami shifted her focus from him to the bottle of wine and to the candles responsible for the fright, feeling comfort gradually replace the panic.

“What’s the occasion?” she asked, her voice still shaky. That was one big feast. “Wait, is today anything important?” she freaked out again, looking at the calendar on their fridge. “But my birthday passed, and yours is on Christmas, and our anniversary’s in January so- what did I forget? Oh no, Karma, are you mad?” she asked, alarmed.

His joyful smile put her at ease. “You didn’t forget anything,” he assured her. He was hugging her before she could make sense of the situation, and she buried her head in his chest. “Honestly,” he laughed as they pulled apart, “I had a speech and everything, but you just threw it out the window.”

Manami quirked an eyebrow at him. “Sorry, I guess?” Her body still trembled under the previous shock and Karma wrapped his arms around her tighter, pinning her with a fond look. “What did I ruin?”

“I wouldn’t say you ruined anything,” Karma replied. “I mean, this is pretty much what I want- to be here when you come home for the rest of our lives.” She didn’t get to tell him that she wanted nothing more before he kneeled in front of her.

Suddenly, it all made sense- the dinner, the candles, the speech.

“Manami Okuda, I can’t promise I’ll make always you happy, but I can promise you that I’ll try my best to. I’ll always be here to hug you after a long day of work and I’ll cook your favourite dish anytime you want. I’ll get better at brewing tea and I’ll develop the perfect mix of spices to go with wild berries. I want to listen to you talk about your science projects for the rest of our lives- and I want to have a place to come home with you.” He pulled out a small velvet box and revealed the most beautiful ring Manami had ever seen. “Will you marry me?”

Manami fell to her knees, unable to keep her shoulders from shaking as she felt tears well up in her eyes. Words stuck in her throat when she opened her mouth so she nodded instead, feeling her cheeks dampen with emotion words couldn’t even begin to describe. She wasn’t sure whether her blurred vision failed her, but Karma’s cheeks were colored by a tint of pink when he slid the ring on her finger.

He wiped her tears away with his thumb, mirroring her smile. Manami wanted to talk- she wanted to tell him how they both knew the answer to his question, and how she felt like so much happiness couldn’t fit in her body, and how the ring fit like it was made just for her, but instead all she could do was hope that the tears were hot enough to burn her feelings into Karma’s hand.

“I’m really not good enough with romantic speeches to make you cry, Manami,” Karma joked, but she shook her head categorically and closed in the distance between them to press her lips against his.

“You are,” she managed to say when she pulled apart, the sobs now allowing short sentences to break through. “And of course I’ll marry you!” Her voice sounded like a reprimand to his obliviousness.

“I really  _ do _ love you,” Karma whispered, letting the words linger in the space between their touching noses. She nodded in return, leaning her forehead against his. And they stayed like that, listening to the candles crackle and the wax melt.

Manami was the first one to break into a wide smile that evolved into a laugh interrupted by rare sobs, and Karma started chuckling shortly thereafter, wrapping his arms around her waist.

“But,” Manami said when she could coherently speak again, “don’t scare me like that ever again.”

“I scared you?” Karma asked surprised,brushing away strands of hair that refused to stay in Manami’s braids.

“You and your candles. It smelled like smoke and you wouldn’t answer. I thought-” the words died on her lips.

“I don’t die that easily,” Karma assured her and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“No more candles,” she repeated categorically, pointing to those on the table.

“But I wanted it to be romantic,” her husband-to-be pouted. The word sounded sweet.

“It would have been even without the candles. And I would have said yes anyway,” she said, giving him a fierce look, which, she realised, didn’t even hold half its power due to her stupid grin.

“No more candles,” he nodded, tightening his grasp on her. She escaped anyway, getting up only to blow them off.

“How many did you light anyway?” She asked when she blew out the second to last one, letting just one candle flicker in the dark kitchen.

“Six. One for each year since we’ve been dating,” he said, getting up and circling his arms around her from behind. He tucked her head under his chin and Manami traced the line of his arms with a thoughtful finger.

“Maybe we can get candles every once in awhile,” she compromised. She knew Karma noticed her blush anyway when his chin widened in a smirk.

***

“We did it!” Tanaka yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. The whole office sighed relieved, clapping their hands in delight and letting out sighs so loud they could start a tornado.

Karma leaned against his chair, loosening a breath he didn’t know he had been holding in. It had been a stressful week for everybody, and now that it was finally over, he felt the strain of exhaustion take a toll on his body. He closed his eyes let the image of Manami waiting for him at home refresh him- it was the only thing that had kept him going for the last week, along with her voice over the phone and the photos he had of her.

“Let’s go out drinking, Akabane-sempai!” Tanaka tapped his shoulder. “It’s thanks to you that this was a success, anyway,” he added.

“Sorry, but not tonight,” he answered, getting up and packing the papers in his briefcase.

“No way! Why?” his colleague whined, clinging to him just like he did back in college.

“You’ll understand when you’ll have a girlfriend, Tanaka,” Yamada laughed at him. A rare gesture- the stress must have gotten even to the stoic Yamada, Karma contemplated.

“Again with Okuda-sempai?” Tanaka whined. “Won’t you hang out with us every once in awhile?”

Karma hummed as he wrapped the scarf around his neck. It still retained the smell of home, and he relaxed under the soft wool. “I haven’t seen my fiance in a week.” He found the word surprisingly sweet as it rolled off his tongue.

***

Manami put the ring back on after she closed the tap. It was surprisingly practical- she almost didn’t feel it when she held the eprubete, but she knew it was there, as if Karma was always by her side. She wondered why she hadn’t worn something like that before- it gave her indescribable confidence.

“Manami-chan, don’t tell me,” Yoshioka pointed to her hand. “Did the red devil finally propose?” When Manami nodded, her lab partner slapped a hand over her forehead. “Really, what took him so long?”

Sometimes, the scientist wondered how many people rooted for them to get together. Back in college, Yoshioka was also the one who sighed dramatically when her and Karma started going out and claimed that ‘they were an oblivious couple’.

“At least he didn’t take the ten year milestone that Miyamura seems to be waiting for,” she sighed again.

“When is your anniversary again?” Manami asked as she slipped her gloves back on and buttoned her lab coat.

“December 3th. I swear, if he doesn’t propose then, I will,” Yoshioka declared.

Manami laughed and rolled the ring around her finger- it was already part of her hand.

***

Karma smiled when he felt the cold metal knob turn under his gloved palm and the door opened. It meant Manami was already home. He didn’t even need to call in greeting. Her footsteps echoed against the tatami mats as soon as she heard the door crack and she hugged him before he even got to take off his coat.

“You’re cold,” she shivered, yet her grip on him didn’t loosen.

Karma slid out of his coat expertly and swung his arms around her, pressing his cold cheek against her neck. She ran a hand through his hair, smoothing his bangs, and pressed her other hand against his cheek, trying to warm him up. The redhead moved a hand to trace the form of her ring.

“Is it practical?” he asked her, pulling apart to see the intensity in her lilac eyes that no photo could reproduce. She didn’t pull her hand from his face.

“Surprisingly so,” she assured him with a grin he matched.

“I’m home, Mrs. Akabane.”

“Welcome home, troublesome husband of mine.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and I hope you enjoyed! If you did, I might write the Nagikae version, too. Besides, I have a continuation for this- announcing the class 3E. However, it's a bit of a crack-fic and it breakes the fourth wall, so what you have here is the serious, fluffy version.  
> Oh and my OC keep appearing here from The Elements:) there are more reffrences here to chapters still unwritten, though.\  
> I hope you enjoyed and have a happy Christmas! As always, your love keeps me alive!


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